The Vocal Company Blog

When Jacob Tourjeman takes on a project, he studies, practices, and puts his whole heart into it until it comes out better than you could have ever imagined. Well, he's humble, so he wouldn't tell you that, but if you've heard his work you'll understand what I mean.

Jon Smith has many titles. Educator. Singer. Arranger. Director. Friend. Leader. No matter where he goes, he is the resident over-achiever. What makes him so successful isn't just his talent, though he has that in spades; what makes Jon Smith a superhero is his boundless passion for what he does.

These days, more and more groups are arranging their music in house, especially in scholastic a cappella groups. Purchasing arrangements from the pros isn't going out of style anytime soon, and professional arrangements can be great tools for studying vocal arranging and getting into it yourself! For beginners and veterans alike, one of the most tried and true ways to improve your arranging is to talk about it with other arrangers.

Elliott von Wendt finessed his a cappella career at Berklee College of Music, where he took the reins as music director for the school’s all­-male group, the CharlieChords. During his tenure, he brought them from modest beginnings to ultimately placing at 2015 Northeast ICCA­ Semifinals. After graduating, Elliott continues to mentor and arrange for many groups in the Boston area and beyond. Currently, Elliott serves as music director, arranger, and bass for The Nor’easters, most recently bringing them to to their win at the 2017 ICCA Finals.

Elliott’s training at the prestigious Berklee College has given him a rich musical palette — he has experience arranging and performing classical, jazz, pop, and electronic styles of music and is dedicated to making every arrangement he works on specially tailored to the unique singers in the group.

We reached out to Elliott to give us some of his insight on a cappella arranging and how to bring out the best in your arrangements by sharing some of his own experiences.